Virgin Atlantic Airways says it disengaged its Lagos cabin crew because they were no longer a requirement on the Lagos route.

The airline said on Sunday, that the primary purpose of its locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise, but that is no longer sustainable, moving forward.

It had been widely reported that the airline had sacked its entire Nigerian crew and was pulling out of the country, and ultimately end its operations.

However, Kudirat Scott-Igbene, Marketing and Communications Manager of Virgin Atlantic, revealed to YNaija via email that the airline won’t be pulling out of the Lagos route and will continue to do business in Nigeria.

She said: “Virgin Atlantic Airways has no plans to pull out of Lagos route, we are committed to continue delivering the experience our customers love whether they are flying for business or leisure.”

“We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagos based cabin crew, the primary purpose of our locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise, and customer feedback has shown us that this is no longer a requirement on the Lagos route.”

“The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward.

This announcement has no impact on our flying programme and we plan to continue flights between Lagos and London. After 14 years flying the route we remain committed to servicing the Nigerian people, whether it be for business, family or education.”

YNaija is the internet newspaper for young Nigerians, focused on the issues and ideas that matter for an evolving generation. It is an arm of the RED brand, which is the continent's largest omni-media group focused on Africa's youth.
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